COMMON ISOTOPES

AND THEIR USES

for General Chemistry 1/ Grade 12
Quarter 1/ Week 2

NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2 1 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2

FOREWORD

This self-learning kit serves as a guide for STEM students

in recognizing common isotopes and their uses. This may
become an instrument in the development of students
who are critical problem solvers, lifetime learners,
responsible stewards of Mother Earth, truth seekers,
impartial decision-makers, responsive and ingenious
citizens, and effective communicators.

This kit may accompany the students in their journey

as they explore the intricacies of MATTER through science
amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
K : identify common isotopes and their uses.
S : write the isotopic symbol of an isotope.
A : appreciate the role played by isotopes in human lives.

LEARNING COMPETENCY
- Recognize common isotopes and their uses (STEM_GC11AM-
Ic-e-19).

I. WHAT HAPPENED
PRE-ACTIVITY/PRE-TEST

A. Multiple Choice. Read carefully and choose the letter that best
corresponds to your answer. Write your answers in your notebook.

1. Isotopes are atoms with a variable number of

a. electrons c. protons
b. neutrons d. ions

2. Which of the following is not true about the isotopic symbol Cu?
a. The isotope has 29 protons.
b. The isotope has 35 neutrons.
c. The isotope has 35 electrons.
d. The isotope has a mass number of 64.

3. Complete the following sentence: “Different isotopes of the same

element have…’
a. …the same number of protons, but differing number of
neutrons and electrons
b. …the same number of neutrons, but differing numbers of
protons and electrons
c. …the same number of protons and neutrons, but differing
number of electrons
d. …the same number of protons and electrons, but differing
number of neutrons

3 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
4. There are how many naturally occurring isotopes of uranium?
a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4

5. In the isotope carbon-14, what does the number 14 represent?

a. total charge c. number of electrons
b. mass of the atom d. atomic number

6. What is the name given to the element hydrogen when it has no

neutrons?
a. protium c. deuterium
b. tritium d. this isotope does not exist

7. This isotope is used as nuclear power plant fuel and nuclear

reactors that run naval ships and submarines.
a. uranium-235 c. uranium-234
b. uranium-238 d. all of these

8. NMRI in the field of medicine stands for

a. nucleus magnetic radiation imaging
b. nuclear magnetic radiation imaging
c. nuclear magnetic resonance imaging
d. nucleus magnetic resonance imaging

9. These are atoms of the same element having the same atomic
number but different atomic mass.
a. ions c. isotopes
b. elements d. none of these

10. If an atom’s atomic number is given by Z, its atomic mass by A,

and its neutron number by N, which of the following is correct?
a. N = A + Z c. N = A – Z
b. N = Z – A d. none of the above

4 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
II. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
DISCUSSION:

ISOTOPES

What are isotopes?

Atoms of the same element can have a different number of

neutrons. This means that they have different mass numbers but the
same atomic number. These atoms are referred to as isotopes
which follow the same configuration for elements.
A neutral hydrogen atom which consists of only one proton
and one electron has three different isotopes – protium, deuterium,
and tritium.

Protium Deuterium Tritium

hydrogen-1 hydrogen-2 hydrogen-3

Z=1 Z=1 Z=1
A=1 A=1 A=1

Figure 1. Isotopes of hydrogen

Z – atomic number; A – mass number

Another way of representing isotopes is by writing the element

name or symbol followed by a hyphen and then the mass number.
Thus, protium, deuterium, and tritium may be written as hydrogen-
1 (H-1), hydrogen-2 (H-2), and hydrogen-3 (H-3), respectively.

5 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
COMMON ISOTOPES AND THEIR USES

Many isotopes are used in different industries. Naturally

occurring uranium consists of 99.3% uranium-238, 0.711% uranium-
235 and 0.006% uranium-234. These percentages are referred to as
isotopic abundances. Uranium isotopes are principal fuels for
nuclear reactors. Uranium-238 is also used to determine the age of
sediments from marine environments. Carbon has several known
isotopes however naturally occurring carbon consists of 98.93% of
carbon-12 and 1.07% of carbon-13. Its other isotopes are short-lived
and are present in very small amounts. An example is carbon-14
which is used in the carbon dating of archaeological materials.

Isotopes are also utilized in medicine. In radioisotope therapy,

iodine131 is taken orally to help treat thyroid cancer. Radiation
from technetium-99 is used to produce images of specific organs in
the body for medical diagnosis and treatment.

Table 1. Common isotopes and their uses.

Isotope Applications/Uses
Carbon-14 Carbon dating of organisms and substances
Cobalt-60 Radiation therapy to prevent cancer
Iodine-131 Help treat thyroid cancer
Technetium-99 Locate brain tumors and damaged heart cells,
radiotracer in medical diagnostics
Thallium-201 Determine damage in heart tissue, detection of
tumors
Uranium-238 Determine the age of sediments from marine
environments
Uranium-235 Nuclear power plant fuel and nuclear reactors
that run naval ships and submarines.
Carbon-11 Tagged onto glucose to monitor organs during
a positron emission tomography (PET) scan

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SCIENCE CONNECTIONS
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Developed in 1971 by American
chemist Paul Lauterber, nuclear
magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI, or
simply MRI) is a procedure used in the
medical field to produce high quality
images of certain internal parts of the
body for diagnostic purposes. Isotopes
commonly used as imaging agents
include technetium-99, iodine-131, https://www.northcanyon.org/wp -

indium-111 and gallium-67. content/uploads/2018/08/diagnostic - imaging - mri -scans.jpg

MRI is considered safer than X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan

because MRI does not utilize ionizing radiation that may be harmful to the cells. But
an MRI scan is more expensive and time-consuming. - Moreover, patients with
cardiac pacemakers and other metallic implants cannot be subjected to an MRI
scan because the magnetic field used in the procedure can cause the device to
malfunction.

Sample Problem

The radioactive decay of cobalt-60 emits gamma radiation,

which is used to kill microorganisms in raw food.
a. Determine the number of electrons, protons, and neutrons in
the isotope.
b. Write its isotopic symbol.

Solution:
a. Cobalt has an atomic number (Z) of 27 which is equal to the
number of protons in an atom of cobalt-60. Its mass number is
(A) 60. Therefore,
✓ number of protons = 27
✓ number of electrons = number of protons = 27
✓ number of neutrons = A – Z = 60 – 27 = 33

b. Its isotopic symbol is

7 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
III. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
EVALUATION/POST TEST:

A. Multiple Choice. Read carefully and choose the letter that best
corresponds to your answer.
1. Which carbon isotope is used in determining the age of
archeological materials?
a. carbon-11 c. carbon-13
b. carbon-12 d. carbon-14

2. The following isotopes are commonly used as imaging agents

except
a. technetium-99 c. iodine-131
b. indium-111 d. uranium-238

3. Why is MRI considered safer than X-ray and CT scans?

a. does not utilize ionizing radiation that may be harmful to
the cells
b. the procedure is inexpensive and not time-consuming
c. magnetic field used in MRI cannot cause the pacemaker
to malfunction
d. all the above

4. There are how many naturally occurring isotopes of carbon?

a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4

5. Isotopes of an element have nuclei with

a. the same number of protons but a different number of
neutrons
b. the same number of protons, and the same number of
neutrons
c. a different number of protons and a different number of
neutrons
d. a different number of protons and the same number of
neutrons

8 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
B. Matching Type. Match the isotope and its corresponding
application to the industry and medicine. Write the letter that
corresponds to your answer on each item in your notebook.

ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS

________ 1. Thallium 2011 a. Radiation therapy to prevent

cancer
________ 2. Carbon – 14 b. Determine the age of
sediments from marine
environments
________ 3. Cobalt- 60 c. Help treat thyroid cancer
________ 4. Iodine-131 d. Determine damage in the
heart, detection of tumors
________ 5. Uranium-238 e. Carbon dating of organisms
and substance

REFERENCES

Duerdecker, Samantha 2019. Physical and Chemical Researcher of

Matter, Powered by Monster. Reference on
https://chem.labretext.org.(Bookshelves)/ Inorganic_Chems

Herzog, Gregory F. “Isotope | Examples & Definition.”

Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Oct. 2018,
www.britannica.com/science/isotope.

“Stable Isotopes | IAEA.” Iaea.org, 15 July 2016,

www.iaea.org/topics/nuclear-science/isotopes/stable-
isotopes.

“Isotope Meaning - What Are Isotopes? (Definition and Examples).”

BYJUS, byjus.com/chemistry/isotope-meaning/.

9 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
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Writer
_________________________________

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DISCLAIMER

The information, activities and assessments used in this material are designed to provide accessible learning modality
to the teachers and learners of the Division of Negros Oriental. The contents of this module are carefully researched, chosen, and
evaluated to comply with the set learning competencies. The writers and evaluator were clearly instructed to give credits to
information and illustrations used to substantiate this material. All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in
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10 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2
SYNOPSIS ANSWER KEY

This self-learning kit is designed

to help students understand what
isotopes are. This SLK discusses on
common isotopes and their uses
under the learning competency
‘Recognize common isotopes and
their uses’ in General Chemistry 1.
You are expected to be able to
identify common isotopes and their
Pre-activity/Pre-Test
uses; write isotopic symbol of A. 1. b 6. a
isotopes; and appreciate the role 2. c 7. a
3. d 8. c
played by isotopes to different 4. c 9. c
industries. 5. b 10. c

Evaluation/Post-test
A. 1. d B. 1. d
2. d 2. e
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 3. a 3. a
4. c 4. c
MARY JOYCEN A. ALAM-ALAM, is a senior high school
5. a 5. b
teacher in Dauin Science High School. She earned
her Bachelor of Secondary Education major in
Biological Science in Negros Oriental State University
in 2016. She was also a DOST-SEI scholar under R.A.
No. 10612.

5. b

11 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week2_v2